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May 14 – May 20

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This week's Game of the Week is pretty much a fait accompli. Diablo 3 takes the honors.

When they announced Diablo 3's release date, I started drooling like one of Pavlov's dogs, so I've been on a deep, dark media blackout since then. My poor, asthmatic clunker of a PC is not going to have a good time trying to run it, but I don't care. This launch is an event in and of itself. After 12 years of waiting and wondering, I intend to savor it. Besides, it would take me forever to get the tar and feathers out of my hair if I didn't choose it.

And while Diablo took the crown, it wasn't without a heavy honorable mention — Max Payne 3. It would have shared the title, had the PC version not slipped out to May 29th. I had planned on picking up the Xbox version anyways; the published system requirements made my machine cower under the desk in terror at the mere thought of putting the disk in its cup holder.

And if neither of those float your boat, take a look at the rest of the lineup. Game of Thrones is a classically styled RPG that looks like it might tickle the fancy of a fan of the series. If you are a fan of the PixelJunk games, there's PixelJunk 4am. It's another shot at using the Move controller to some purpose, this time in a music game and visualizer. The Battleship game being splashed across most of the platforms is not (as I was hoping) an electronic version of the time-honored board game, but a rather generic-looking FPS. I don't see a lot to recommend it. And with apologies to the Miller brothers, I won't be buying Myst on yet another platform.

GoT actually being good would be a pleasant surprise too, but I'm not holding my breath.

Apparently the game was in development for a good while BEFORE the TV series was announced, so there's a chance it's not some rushed tv-to-game monstrosity. They sure picked the wrong week to release though.

Also, Anna looks really interesting in an "Amnesia in the daylight" kind of way...

I had it in my head Dragon's Dogma was this week. Just as well, I suppose.

I wish it was this week. For some reason my excitement is starting to reach a tipping point and I don't know why. There's just something about the game and its aesthetic. I want to go in as blind as possible, just as I had with the demo, but I might find myself reading reviews and previews nonetheless.

This May is curiously packed for, well, May. I remember High School and College summers where I'd be begging for a release, and only getting something in mid-to-late August when summer was nearly over with. It feels like May is prepping things up a lot more. Starhawk last week for PS3 owners, Diablo 3 this week for PC owners, Game of Thrones (maybe?) and Max Payne 3 cross-platform this week, Dragon's Dogma and Future Soldier next week on cross platform, and then other titles such as Binding of Isaac: Wrath of the Lamb, Firefall, Dirt: Showdown, Alan Wake's American Nightmare on PC...

It's like they're gearing up for all the College graduates that are soon about to find out that finding a job is a lot harder than it seems.

stevenmack wrote:

Grubber788 wrote:

GoT actually being good would be a pleasant surprise too, but I'm not holding my breath.

Apparently the game was in development for a good while BEFORE the TV series was announced, so there's a chance it's not some rushed tv-to-game monstrosity. They sure picked the wrong week to release though.

I heard that, too. I'm wondering if it started development as some other fantasy RPG, and then after some time someone said "let's attach a major property to this" and POOF! Game of Thrones.

I heard that, too. I'm wondering if it started development as some other fantasy RPG, and then after some time someone said "let's attach a major property to this" and POOF! Game of Thrones.

I think it was always going to be a game of thrones game but after the TV series was announced and got really popular, they changed liknesses (and presumably voice actors?) to those from the tv series.

I am so not excited about Diablo III lol Maybe I am missing out on something here...but time will tell. Will see the responses here in the community, once it is out. Lost interest once the Auction House was mentioned; it's not part of game play in my opinion. Then the region thing; you cannot even use your own character outside the region Blizzard made you start in (The Americas - Europe - Asia), that's such a crock. But at least you are allowed to play outside your region with a different one. SC2 won't even let you play outside any region.
And never mind the fact you have to be online all the time when you play.

Since SC2 which its ridiculous restrictions and no LAN, I find Blizzard having a lesser friendly face towards the gamer. Loved Diablo and loved Starcraft. Now playing neither of them. Such a shame.

End of rant

'We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing'

Then the region thing; you cannot even use your own character outside the region Blizzard made you start in (The Americas - Europe - Asia), that's such a crock.

Actually, it's not - if you have a real-money auction house and three different real-money economies, but a character with access to all three, what's to stop you gaming the AH using basic knowledge of the real-world currency-trading system?

I think it was always going to be a game of thrones game but after the TV series was announced and got really popular, they changed liknesses (and presumably voice actors?) to those from the tv series.

That's correct. Curiously, the TV series and game don't match up 100%. The characters tend to look the same, but the environments (places like the throne room) have slightly different looks. Also, apparently the storyline has input from Martin and is canonical? Of course, none of that means squat if the gameplay sucks.

I think it was always going to be a game of thrones game but after the TV series was announced and got really popular, they changed liknesses (and presumably voice actors?) to those from the tv series.

That's correct. Curiously, the TV series and game don't match up 100%. The characters tend to look the same, but the environments (places like the throne room) have slightly different looks. Also, apparently the storyline has input from Martin and is canonical? Of course, none of that means squat if the gameplay sucks.

I've been trying to dig around the net for info, but even the Wikipedia page is rather empty. Even though the game releases tomorrow I can't find much in the way of reviews or previews.

Of course, my Google-Fu is pretty terrible, but this is the best I had managed to find.

I feel like there's absolutely no marketing for this. Shouldn't there have at least been a TV spot before and/or after the latest episode of Game of Thrones on TV?

Then the region thing; you cannot even use your own character outside the region Blizzard made you start in (The Americas - Europe - Asia), that's such a crock.

Actually, it's not - if you have a real-money auction house and three different real-money economies, but a character with access to all three, what's to stop you gaming the AH using basic knowledge of the real-world currency-trading system?

Actually, your character has not access to all three, just to one. Will have to look it up again. Read it today somewhere.

There are, of course, some restrictions on your globe-trotting. Heroes, items and your BattleTag friends lists don't transfer to different regions. While you can use the gold-based auction house in other regions, the real-world money auction house will only be available in your home region.